I have so many questions. I’ve been thinking about the 2026 season since … well, Feb. 9 at about 12:30 a.m., the morning after Super Bowl LX.
What I didn’t realize was that the next official game we’d see would be a rematch of that title game. But on Wednesday, the first time an NFL season will open on a Wednesday, it’s the Patriots against the Seahawks in Seattle. I want to talk about that this week.
On Thursday, we get a potential preview of the NFC Championship Game, with the Rams playing the 49ers in … Australia (also a first, in many ways). I want to talk about that, too.
I think the Saints and Lions game on Sunday could be a slugfest, in part because I think they’ll both win their divisions. Let’s hit on the Lions while we’re at it, shall we?
The Week 1 schedule is packed. Make sure you order your wings and pizzas early. Make sure your fridge is stocked. Heck, book a babysitter if you need to. NFL season is here. This is Sound Smart, where I try to spin forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines.
1.
There’s a reason we haven’t had a Super Bowl rematch to open a season since 2016. It’s an incredible product for the fans. But for the players and the teams? Not so much.
Here’s what former Panthers coach Ron Rivera said about a rematch with the Broncos to open the 2016 season after Carolina lost to Denver in Super Bowl 50.
“We’re going to make you guys relive it for five more months. That’s how I felt,” Rivera said a decade ago. “So for the next five months I’ve got to put up with it, deal with it, answer the questions and relive it constantly, over and over and over. Honestly, it became a pain in the ass.”
New England will have to watch the Seahawks lift their banner. The Patriots will have front-row seats for the ceremony and pageantry. There’s no getting that salt out of the wound — not even if the Patriots win.
In the Super Bowl, Drake Maye and the Patriots couldn’t handle the Seatte blitz, which came from all angles. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
So I figured I’d check in with a member of the losing side.
“I ain’t gonna lie: That hurt,” Patriots receiver Demario Douglas told me early in training camp. “That game hurt, you know? … The next week, I went right back to working out. That gave me a good view of, man, how we need to finish.”
Did he speak at all with Drake Maye about the game?
“We watched the film. We were all very hard on ourselves. He was very hard on himself,” Douglas told me. “So I mean, not much to say [to each other]. Coach was already saying it. I don’t feel like you need another voice. … I need [Maye’s] confidence in me. So me coming at him, that doesn’t help anything. He watched the film just like we watched the film. We all had a part in it. It takes a full 11, not just one.”
The bad news for the Patriots in an otherwise magical season was, of course, that they lost the game. The good news is that they get another shot at the Seahawks. But there’s no trophy on the line this time.
Maye mentioned earlier this offseason that the Super Bowl loss was “humbling.” But following the 2026 NFL schedule release, he has struck a positive tone about the rematch.
“Starting off with the bang like that, [it’s] a chance to get an opponent that left a bad taste in our mouth. So, I think it’s something for us that’s going to really make us work,” he said in May. “We’ve got to bring it Week 1 on the road in a tough environment. They’re going to be hanging their banner, and that’s part of it.
“I think it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a tough task.”
2.
It was concerning to see the 49ers decide not to invest in their offensive line this offseason. Sure, they drafted Washington guard Carver Willis in Round 4 of the draft. But this is the 49ers’ custom — peppering rounds three and four with dart throws on the offensive line.
The problem is that they still have issues at guard on both sides. That began to show in 2025, when they didn’t get strong play on the left side and right guard Dominick Puni saw his PFF grade fall from 80.5 as a rookie in 2024 to 69.2 in his second year.
And we recently got a clue that maybe the 49ers are concerned, too. They traded for Texans guard Jarrett Patterson to help with their depth. They’re clearly not panicked — Patterson came for a seventh-round pick. But it doesn’t imbue confidence either.
I’m not the only one who’s worried.
“We’re a week away from the season, and they’re trading for interior offensive linemen because it’s an obvious place of concern,” former NFL star Richard Sherman said on his podcast. “We knew that two years ago. And that’s the part where I don’t really get it.”
The line wouldn’t be such an acute problem if the 49ers weren’t in the NFC West — and if they didn’t have a matchup against Myles Garrett, Byron Young and maybe even Aaron Donald on Thursday. The Rams are an absolute nightmare for any not-sure-of-itself offensive line.
Donald will fly to Australia. His status is still up in the air. (Pun intended.) Either way, the 49ers will come away from this matchup feeling shaky. Donald will almost definitely be there for their second catchup in Week 14. And if the 49ers have Super Bowl plans, they’ll probably see the Rams for a third time in the playoffs.
I don’t see it getting any easier.
3.
It would’ve been easy to write about Caleb Williams here. The expectations. The talent. The everything. It was easy to write about Drake Maye for all the same reasons.
But what about Commanders QB Jayden Daniels?
Depending upon whom you ask, he’s either quietly poised for a bounce-back season — or on the verge of ruin, not unlike his predecessor Robert Griffin III. The Commanders are, of course, showering Daniels with praise, but I’m just not sure they’ve done enough to set him up to succeed.
Last year, it felt like they were trying to fight regression from their 2024 run to the NFC Championship Game by adding left tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Deebo Samuel. Neither had many ripple effects — at least not so far as we could see. All we could see was Daniels struggling on the field — and then, worse, struggling to stay on the field. He missed 10 games due to knee, hamstring and elbow injuries.
This year, the Commanders waited until the third round to add slot receiver Antonio Williams. Then a few weeks into training camp, Washington signed veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Diggs addition, in particular, felt too much like an afterthought. It was like they’d forgotten to buy a gift for a party host and picked up a dusty bottle of red at the corner store. And Diggs, like some red wines, isn’t for everyone. His presence in the locker room is sometimes … a lot.
A big key to Daniels’ success in 2026 will be new offensive coordinator David Blough, who replaced Kliff Kingsbury. Blough is widely respected (partially because he’s a former NFL QB), which has led to a precipitous rise — not unlike that of new Eagles OC Sean Mannion. (And coincidentally, Mannion and Blough will duel in Week 1 on FOX.) But Blough is a first-time playcaller and a first-year offensive coordinator. He’s also entering just his fourth year of coaching. For a QB as young and malleable as Daniels, it’s interesting to see him paired with an OC with such little experience.
Two-time All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs signed with the Commanders in August, his fourth team in four years. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
I’m not saying things won’t work in D.C. In fact, I hope they do. Because it would be a shame to see Washington squander Daniels’ talent.
But while the Commanders seem to want to support behind their 25-year-old QB, they have a funny way of showing it. Changing OCs. Waiting to draft a rookie pass-catcher. Waiting to sign a veteran pass-catcher. Taking a risk on moving guard Brandon Coleman back to his college position, left tackle.
It’s fun to root for a guy like Daniels. But the Commanders might not make it easy in 2026.
4.
I recently waxed poetic about how special Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are as a QB-WR tandem. That’s because they are special. And I thoroughly enjoy their game.
Well, sorry, here comes the I-love-you-but.
Coach Dan Campbell recently said that Goff is beyond comparison when it comes to facing pressure.
“His processing speed reminds me of [Drew] Brees,” Campbell told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Nobody makes a more accurate throw under duress than Jared Goff.”
Unfortunately, the stats don’t lie. Goff is actually the league’s most sensitive quarterback to pressure over the past three seasons. His expected points per dropback ranges between .43 in a clean pocket (best in the league) to -.42 when pressured (28th), per Fantasy Points Data. That’s an .85-point swing.
Goff is absolutely an elite processor and playmaker. But recently, he’s mainly been dangerous when he’s not pressured. And that’s something to watch as the Lions have shuffled their offensive line this year. Perennial All-Pro Penei Sewell moved from right tackle to left. Center Frank Ragnow retired, and his replacement, free-agent acquisition Cade Mays, will miss time with a wrist injury. Tackle Blake Miller is a rookie, albeit a first-rounder.
That’ll be something for the Saints to ponder, as defensive coordinator Brandon Staley tries to unsettle Goff — no doubt with help from edges Chase Young and Cam Jordan.
5.
This post recently made the rounds on X. And I’m just loving it.
Look, Bill Belichick has clearly fallen on hard times. In 2024, he couldn’t get an NFL job when he clearly wanted one. He had to settle for the college ranks, where he wasn’t exactly dominant in 2025. In fact, he has seemingly been steeped in one controversy after another at the college level. To top off his mountain of crap, he missed the first ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But there’s still no question in my mind: He and Tom Brady should get an even split for New England’s dynasty. Anyone who claims Brady is due more credit is playing prisoner to the moment (and focusing too heavily on how their NFL careers ended — not on where their careers began, which was when Belichick did so much heavy lifting).
Former Eagles staffer Ryan Paganetti shared an example of why Belichick is so deserving of credit. Reportedly, the Patriots tinkered with the Gillette Stadium video board when opponents attempted field goals. The board would show the reverse view, creating four yellow lines to seemingly disorient the kicker. From 2001 to 2019, stats show that the Patriots converted 9.4% more of their own field goals than their opponents made.
The dude was an Evil Genius. Capital E. Capital G.
Nobody liked messing with his opponents more. Nobody was more conniving and manipulative of the rules. Nobody was more prepared.
Belichick was ruthless for 20 years. And I love discovering crazy gems like this one.
“If him and Ernie [Adams] came up with that, then I love them even more,” former Patriots safety Devin McCourty texted me.
